These ain’t your grandma’s cloth diapers!

We've decided to take the crazy plunge and try Cloth Diapering!  I know what most of you are thinking... We're Crazy!  But Cloth diapering has come a long way since giant safety pins.  So what made us decide that was the road we were going to take?  Lots of research and asking around, sure our water bill will be a bit higher, but we're going to be doing more laundry anyway & in the long run, cloth diapering saves you more pennies than the others.  Cloth diapers are expensive initially, but in the long run run save you a lot of money.  Studies show that the average child goes through 8,000 diaper changes before being potty-trained; at 25 cents a diaper, that adds up to $2,000!  So the money you invest in cloth saves you quite a bit, particularly if you plan on using cloth for more children (& yes, someday we'll have two).  Also, cloth diapers have great resale & a high quality diaper will resell on ebay for as much as 50% of the purchase price, trust me, I've looked around!  

Plus, using cloth diapers is the best thing you can do for your babies skin & the environment.  Do you know how many diapers end up in landfills?  Billions!!  Did you also know the little gel beads inside disposable diapers are made with the same stuff tampons used to be made of?  The same tampons that were recalled because they caused Toxic Shock Syndrome?  I'm not sure I want that touching my babies bum!  

Convenience is key!  The new cloth diapers secure with soft velcro closures or snaps - no more diaper pins!  Multiple inner layers of absorbent, natural materials in the center soaker panels replace those gels I was just talking about.  The variety is mind-boggling, with choices ranging from fabrics, prints, color, number of layers, type of closure and style of cover.  You can choose from prefolds, fitted, pocket, all-in-ones, or one-size diapers.  

While they say to buy a few different types and choose what you and your baby like, after looking at ALL the choices, I have decided to go ahead and give the BumGenius brand a try.  

You can check them out at www.bumgenius.com There are so many choices and we may find that we don't like those, but from what I've heard from other moms, those are amazing diapers!  

It's never too early to baby proof

Last week I started "baby proofing" the house.  I rearranged our hallway closet, so that all the medicines, shampoos, and razors are on the top 3 shelves & it's actually a lot easier to find things now!  It's so organized, it's almost scary!

Then I also bought a pack of outlet covers, which has been pretty funny because Mike has no finger nails and can't get them off when he needs to plug something in.  Sure, they are a PITA when you need a plug, but I'd rather have it done now than scramble & try to get it done when the little man decides to start crawling.  I do need to go buy some velcro dots and stick them to the outlets & covers (I learned that trick on a photoshoot @ a school), so you don't lose the covers.  We still have to baby proof the doors and cabinets, but I'm sure we'll get to that soon.  I think we should do the cabinets soon, so I can learn to get them open!  We'll see!

Visited the Zoo Today

To photograph some "wild" animals for the nursery since our theme is "T is for Tiger".  Instead of buying cutsie paintings of animals, I decided to personalize it by using my own photographs.  These are just my favorites from today, I'm going back through my archives to pull other animals photographs.  So, what do you think?

My Favorite!!

He's already spoiled

& he's not even born yet!  Yesterday I picked up a Maclaren for a great price.  No, no, no, not this Mclaren.....

This one!  The Techno XLR, which will be great for both Mike & I because of its extending handles, so no bending down to push the stroller.  It looks awesome in Charcoal and Burnt Orange!  I cannot wait to use it!  Told Mike, we're going to have to take Dakota on a walk around the neighborhood with an empty stroller so she can get used to it.  Sure, our neighbors might think we're crazy, but....

Day 165, only 115 days to go

So, Days 157-165 were spent in the beautiful state of Hawaii.  We visited many places & saw lots of fun & cool things.  165 was our Last day in Hawaii & we were on a quest to find what was known as Puu Mahana, or Green Sand Beach.  Green sand beaches are made from Olivine Crystals, which are very rare, there are only two Green Sand Beaches in the world!  To get to this beach, one must either use a 4-wheel drive vehicle or hike six miles from South Point, KA Lae, the southern most tip of the USA.  

We didn't know it was that long of a hike, but Mike & I didn't make it, Jeff & Allison did though & brought back this beautiful picture!

But we did see a lot of beautiful scenes along the way!  

The waves were absolutely huge!!

4 people standing on the most southern spot in the USA!

One VERY pregnant lady! (that's my bump pic for this month!)

We had an absolute blast, so check out the family blog for more Hawaii Fun!!

A Very Active Boy

Every time we go to the doctor, they tell me what an active boy we have.  Always bouncing around & hard to get all the necessary information during ultrasounds.  Which of course, is a good thing.  It means he's healthy.  But let me tell you, this kid is a kicker!  Every night right around 7:30-9pm, he is a kicking fool!  I just hope he's got his days and nights figured out by the time he decides to show his face!  He's about 10 minutes early today.  He's already started to tell me he's here!  I'm just hoping he's not going to be like this when he comes out!  From what I heard about Mike as a child, he just might be!!

The Moment everyone has been waiting for...

Yep!  Thats right!  It's true!  It's team Blue for us!  We are having a healthy, active, baby boy!  Our little guy is about 9 oz & doesn't appear to like to have his photo taken!  Guess we'll have to change that! 

Look at that Leg bone!  (At least it's not 2' already!)

Here is our little hiding boy!

He finally moved his arms so we could see his face.

& in a snap it was gone!  Back to hiding!

I think I grew!!

18-weeks - 

I was sitting on the couch the other day when I felt this crazy feeling pushing on my tummy.  As I felt my tummy, it was hard as a rock on one side & soft on the other.  Turns out someone must have thought they didn't have enough room & were pushing against my tummy!  Today, I feel as if I grew larger during the day!  Apparently, all that pushing on the inside did some good!

So we've been out of town

15-weeks

We were out of town for the weekend & I know, I've been slacking on the blog.  But that's what happens!  We are at about 17 weeks now, and let me tell you, we've got one active little baby!  Loves to jab & kick!  I'm starting to think s/he is doing aerobics in there!  

So, where did we go over the weekend, well it was my 10-year High school class reunion.  Yippee for the class of 1998!  We had lots of fun & of course, it's always fun showing off the mini-belly.  Plus we went to the horse track and saw some races and some friends.  I got to see my other pregnant friend (she's due on Jan 12)  I just wish she was closer!  Of course, being what a horrible person I am.  I really didn't take any photographs all weekend!  How sad!  So I'll have to sweet-talk Mike into taking some of the bump to post tomorrow.  

Well, that's about it, I've been feeling much better these days, I'm only feeling sick when I'm hungry and don't get to eat right away.  We have our Anatomy appt on July 31st!  So then I can stop switching up the he/she every time I talk about the baby!  

It's a well known fact...

That Mike and I are pregnant, well, I should say *I* am pregnant, not him.  How could this have happened you might ask?  Well, that is a question for you're parent's if you don't know the answer.  I can't help you on it!  But I can tell you that we are super excited, scared to death, & overwhelmed all at the same time.  So the question on everyone's mind is WHEN ARE YOU DUE!?  For all those wondering minds... it is December 31st, 2008.

Stay tuned for lots more info to come!